Despite making up nearly half of all athletes, women’s sports comprise an average of 15% of total sports media coverage. This fact dismays many female athletes, crushing their passion for their sports. It proves that men’s sports receive so much more attention than women’s sports.
Many female student-athletes dispute strong opinions on this subject.
“I feel like some of the men’s sports are more intense than some other girls’ sports,” sophomore tennis player, Gabriella Cowan said. “Most people just watch and fantasize about football, and girls’ sports just get left behind in the dust.”
This issue discourages many female athletes at Texas High, especially those who don’t play a popular or highly fantasized sport.
“No one really cares about [women’s] tennis,” Cowan said. “The only women’s sport people really care about is volleyball, and that one’s not even talked about a lot. It’s frustrating because we don’t get any credit.”
The fact that men receive more attention and audiences in sports than women encourages many female athletes to work harder to become even faster and stronger than the men who play their sports.
“I think women’s sports don’t receive as much attention as men’s because men’s sports get more media coverage than us females,” junior soccer player, Madison Nickleberry said. “This makes me want to work harder and keep being more competitive.”
The common stigma that women lack the same amount of grit and are generally considered less athletic can harm female athletes’ perceptions of themselves. However, some women use society’s negative opinion as motivation to work hard and aspire to destroy these stereotypes.
“I feel like people think men can do more than women,” sophomore basketball player, Kayleigh Cooper said. “People shouldn’t discriminate against the things that women can do, they need to focus on women just as much as men.”
Although media coverage of women’s sports has accelerated over the years, it shouldn’t have been low in the first place. Women work and try as much, if not more, than men in their sports; this issue relates to more than just media coverage.
“Women should receive more media coverage, pay, opportunities in leadership, and supporters who show up at games,” Nickleberry said. “Because female sports are actually more entertaining than men’s to me.”
However, this controversy motivates many female athletes to strive for great accomplishments despite their insecurity.
“To change the issue of women’s coverage, Women must continue to advocate for themselves,” junior swimmer, Lilian LeFors said. “I’ve never felt undervalued on the swim team, but I know the problems of favoritism some girls face when they compete.”
